Fact or Fiction: Conferences should play, even without all teams
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: Texas is afraid of matchup vs. A&M | Will Shipley is the next Christian McCaffrey
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
*****
1. Football conferences should play, even without all teams.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This was mentioned by James Franklin in a recent interview as a possibility, but I just don’t like the idea. So if half the Big Ten is cleared to play and the other half isn’t, we should roll on? Nah. Even if 80% of a conference is cleared to resume play, I just can’t see playing a college football season this way. What if the state of Alabama isn’t allowed to gather? Are we going to have an SEC season without Alabama and Auburn? Or a Pac-12 season without Oregon? I know we all want college football badly, but to me it’s all or nothing.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. Everyone wants the college football season to happen so badly that they are just throwing out any idea possible to see what sticks, but I don’t like this idea at all. There are just way too many moving parts and factors to consider to make a plan like that work. One concern would be the mixed message: Telling a kid at Rutgers it’s safe to play when those at Penn State are being held out, or vice versa, would be bad for everybody involved. This goes to a larger question that could dovetail into 50 other issues, but in many cases players on a campus are much safer with the medical staffs in place than players off-campus. We need to move forward, responsibly, and have a football season.
*****
2. The Aggies got a sleeper in TE Fernando Garza.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I may be in the minority here and Garza impressed at our camp this spring, but on film he lacks great athleticism and balance and appears to be more of a blocker than a pass-catching threat. Even in a camp setting, he was heavy-footed and slow in his routes. I’m not saying he’s horrible or anything like that and his size is intriguing, but there are some who think he’s vastly underrated. I am not one of them.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I don’t think Garza is one of the top tight ends nationally, but he should be ranked higher than he is. After all, the Texas A&M commit is massive at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, and while he’s not a burner, Garza can separate later in his route and he has great hands. So many tight ends want to be wide receivers and they’re not great blockers, but Garza loves to knock people around, too, so that’s a bonus. A&M coach Jimbo Fisher knows how to use tight ends, and Garza should have a big career in College Station.
*****
3. Ohio State would have beaten LSU last season for the title.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. Why is this a topic? I don’t know. This is a time where “What if?” is a big deal. So let’s say Ohio State beat Clemson as it might have (or should have depending on your view) in the CFB playoff. Would they have beaten LSU in the title game with a stronger defense than Clemson and an equally explosive offense? Nope. It might have been closer, but LSU was rolling on all cylinders and the Tigers would have rolled over anyone, short of perhaps Alabama with Tua Tagovailoa.
Gorney’s take: FICTION. No team was beating LSU last season. The Tigers could have probably scored 100 against Oklahoma in the first round of the playoff and then they trounced Clemson as well. What would Ohio State have done differently anyway? Quarterback Joe Burrow was playing like a man possessed, the offense was humming and the defense was lights out as well. LSU was the best team in college football last season and they showed it in the College Football Playoff.